Method and medium for coloring live bait worms

ABSTRACT

A method for coloring live bait worms comprises adding to a cultivation bed containing one or more worm storage media, a non-toxic amount of a colorant to form a coloring medium, and incubating live bait worms in the coloring medium at a temperature and for a time sufficient to allow the bait worms to become colored by ingesting the coloring medium. The colorant is preferably a D&amp;C coloring additive such as a xanthene dye, most preferably D&amp;C Yellow No. 8, and/or D&amp;C Yellow No. 7, and the worm storage medium is preferably peat loam. The worms become colored during an incubation period of up to about one week and retain their color for a prolonged period of time after being removed from the coloring medium.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method for coloring live bait worms, astorage and coloring medium for coloring live bait worms, and to livebait worms colored according to the present invention. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to the incorporation into a storagemedium for worms an amount of a colorant which, when ingested by theworms in a non-toxic quantity, changes their color.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is believed that the ability of a bait to attract fish is at leastpartially related to its color. Accordingly, numerous methods aredisclosed in the prior art for coloring live bait to thereby enhance itsefficacy in attracting fish. Examples of methods and materials forcoloring the external surface of a live bait, such as a bait fish or abait worm, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,460 (Kienast et al.),U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,514 (Lechnir) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,858 (Mayer).These patents describe methods and compositions used for applying acolorant to an external surface of the live bait to thereby change itscolor. One disadvantage of such methods and compositions is that theymust be applied to the live bait by the fisherman, and are thereforeinconvenient.

Another method for coloring live bait worms is disclosed by U.S. Pat.No. 2,849,981 to Rose et al. According to Rose et al., it is possible toproduce live worms of substantially any desired color by adding anyconventional pure edible food coloring to food fed to the worms and/orto the beds of earth or other material in which the worms arecultivated. Preferably, sixteen parts of the pure edible food coloringare mixed with one part of a fruit or vegetable juice. It is stated byRose et al. that one ounce of this mixture when applied to food which isfed to worms and to beds in which the worms are cultivated or shippedwill effectively color approximately one hundred worms.

Although Rose et al. apparently discloses an effective method forcoloring live worms, it has been found by the inventor of the presentinvention that many presently available edible food colorings areunsatisfactory for coloring live bait worms, and that the amount of foodcoloring recommended by Rose et al. is in many cases detrimental to theviability of the worms.

Therefore, there is a continued need for an effective method to colorlive bait worms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above-described disadvantages of presently known methods andcompositions for coloring live bait are overcome by the presentinvention, which provides a method and composition for coloring livebait worms. In the method of the present invention, live bait worms aresupported on a coloring medium comprising a worm storage mediumcontaining a colorant. As the worms ingest the coloring medium, thecolorant is assimilated into and onto the flesh of the worms by adhesionand adsorption, thereby causing them to become colored. The inventor hasfound that worms colored according to the invention are able to retaintheir color for prolonged periods of time after being removed from thecoloring medium.

The inventor has found that the selection of an effective colorant iscrucial both to the ability of the worms to absorb and retain the color,as well as to maintain the viability of the worms during the time theyare stored in the coloring medium. Contrary to the teachings of Rose etal., the inventor has found through experiment that, in general, ediblefood colorings are ineffective coloring agents for live bait worms. Theinventor believes that the ineffectiveness of edible food colorings isat least partially due to their insolubility in the worm storage mediumas well as their tendency to be rapidly metabolized so as not to adhereto, or interact with, tissues such as mucous membranes in humans andother organisms. The inventor has also found that increasing theconcentration of food coloring in the coloring medium to the levelsdisclosed by Rose et al., to improve coloring ability, can bedetrimental to the viability of the worms during the time they arestored in the coloring medium.

Therefore, the colorants used in the present invention are selected fromthe group consisting of man-made color additives certified by the UnitedStates Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in drugs and cosmetics(“D&C color additives”), except those which are certified for use infoods. Preferred among such D&C color additives are xanthene dyes andsalts thereof, more preferably the xanthene compounds designated by theFDA as D&C Yellow Nos. 7 and 8, D&C Red Nos. 22 and 28, FD&C Red 3 andD&C Orange 5.

One of the most preferred colorants according to the invention is D&CYellow No. 8, which is very water soluble and therefore readilydissolves in moist worm storage media. Furthermore, the inventor hasfound that D&C Yellow No. 7 and D&C Yellow No. 8 are non-toxic to wormsand provide the worms with an intense fluorescent chartreuse color whichis believed to enhance their ability to attract fish.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The method of the present invention is used to incorporate a colorantinto a live bait worm. For this purpose, preferred bait worms accordingto the present invention are common earthworms such as dendrobaenavenetta and lumbricus terrestris. After being collected from the earth,bait worms are typically transferred to a storage medium in quantitiesof about 500 worms per bulk bait box of volume 2.2 L until they are usedas bait, or repackaged in smaller point-of-sale bait cups of volume 8 to12 ounce, each typically containing from about 8 to 24 worms. The amountand composition of the storage medium is typically sufficient to permitthe worms to survive for a period of about four to six weeks. Forexample, a bulk bait box containing about 2 to 3 kg of storage medium issufficient to maintain about 500 worms in a viable state for about 4 to6 weeks.

The worm storage media which may be used in the method and compositionaccording to the invention include all conventional worm storage media,such as peat moss, peat loam, top soil, black soil and hydratedcellulose based media which include pulp, paper, cardboard, newsprint,etc. The storage medium according to the invention may preferablycomprise mixtures of two or more of these worm storage media. The mostpreferred worm storage medium for use in the present invention is peatloam. These storage media all contain some amount of water. For example,the percentage of water in the peat loam medium is about 65 percent byweight of the medium.

In order to produce a coloring medium according to the presentinvention, a colorant is added to the storage medium in an amount whichis non-toxic to the worms during the period in which they are stored inthe coloring medium, and which will impart color to the worms.

As discussed above, the colorants used in the present invention areselected from the group consisting of man-made color additives certifiedby the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use indrugs, cosmetics and foods, and more preferably those which arecertified for use in drugs and cosmetics only, referred to herein as“D&C color additives”. Preferred among such FDA certified coloradditives are xanthene dyes and salts thereof, more preferably thexanthene compounds designated by the FDA as D&C Yellow Nos. 7 and 8, D&CRed Nos. 22 and 28, FD&C Red No 3 and D&C Orange No. 5. The structuralformulas of these xanthene dyes are set out below. Mixtures of two ormore colorants can be used to impart the desired color to the worms.

The most preferred colorant according to the invention is D&C Yellow No.8, also known as uranine, which is the disodium salt of D&C Yellow No.7, also known as fluorescein. Since it is a salt, D&C Yellow No. 8 ishighly soluble in water and readily dissolves in moist worm storagemedia. Furthermore, D&C Yellow No. 8 provides the worms with an intensefluorescent chartreuse color which is believed to enhance their abilityto attract fish.

It is believed that the particular efficacy of D&C Yellow No. 8 overother colorants may be related to its high solubility in water, whichpermits its assimilation into and onto the flesh of the bait worms byadhesion and adsorption. The inventor has also found that D&C Yellow No.8, as well as the other xanthene dyes mentioned above, are notdetrimental to the viability of the worms as evidenced by their completeincorporation into the alimentary tract of the worm. In particular, theinventor has found that while a considerable amount of care needs to betaken with most dyes to control worm mortality, D&C Yellow Nos. 7 and 8remain non-toxic even at high concentrations, for example in amounts ofabout 2500 mg/8 ounce bait cup containing 12 worms, or about 150 mg dyeper worm.

In addition to the above advantages, D&C Yellow Nos. 7 and 8 can bereadily removed from boats, hands, fishing gear, clothing etc. withsoapy water, whereas many other dyes, particularly the triphenyls FD&CBlue No. 1 and FD&C Green No. 3 are difficult to remove. Furthermore,D&C Yellow Nos. 7 and 8, has an intense yellowish-green fluorescencewhich persists in extremely dilute, aqueous solutions (i.e. 1 part in 40million). D&C Yellow No. 8 is also biodegradable, and is frequently usedto trace the course of underground streams and factory and sewereffluents.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the coloring medium isprepared by adding 1 to 10 g, more preferably 3 to 6 g, still morepreferably about 5.0 g of colorant per kg of storage medium. Thecolorant may preferably be added to the storage medium as a powder,granule, liquid or spray. This coloring medium can also be prepared as aconcentrate for easier transportation or shipping, to be mixed withadditional storage medium to make the above final amounts at a latertime.

The process for coloring bait worms according to the present inventioncan include separate incubation and storage periods. This process can becarried out on bulk worm amounts of 100-1000 worms per container or onsmaller point-of-sale quantities of 8-24 worms equally effectively. Forexample worms can be colored in bulk by incubating 100 to 1000, morepreferably 300 to 600, still more preferably 500, regular worms in astandard Styrofoam bait box containing about 0.05 to 2.0 kg, morepreferably 0.8 to 1.2 kg, and still more preferably 1.0 kg of thecoloring medium according to the present invention at a temperature andfor a time sufficient to permit the worms to become colored. Preferablythe temperature of the storage medium with the worms is maintained inthe range from about 34° F. to 75° F., more preferably at about 38° F.to 60° F., and still more preferably between 40° F. to 50° F. Theactivity of the worms is significantly greater at the higher end of thistemperature range than at the lower end of the range. Thus, theincubation period at a temperature of about 50° F. to 60° F. is on theorder of about 2 days to 4 days, whereas an incubation period of about 7to 10 days is required at 34° F. to 40° F. Incubation of the wormsshould continue until they are the desired color and intensity.

After the incubation period, the bulk colored worms can also be storedin bulk by placing them in virgin storage medium, not containing anycolorant. The inventor has found that bulk worms colored according tothe present invention will retain their color for 7-10 days at 35° F.and for only about 3 days at 45° F. to 50° F. In order to extend theperiod, for which worms retain their color, for example to about four tosix weeks, the coloring medium is preferably used to store the wormsuntil they are used as bait. This will ensure that the worms have theproper color when they are used as bait. If the coloring medium isconsumed by the bulk worms to the point where it no longer offers anynutritional value to the worms prior to their use as bait, the coloringmedium can be supplemented with additional coloring medium or thecoloring medium can be replaced entirely with fresh coloring medium. Inthis way, it is very easy to store the bulk worms, in a colored state,for any period of time from days, to weeks, months and even years.

Alternatively, after the incubation, the above bulk colored worms can bedivided into smaller amounts and stored in actual point-of-salecontainers ready for use as bait by the end user rather than in bulkcontainers. For example, 8-24 of the worms previously colored in bulk asdescribed above can be added to a normal 8 to 12 ounce Styrofoam, paper,or plastic bait cup and topped with the coloring medium (containing 5 gcolorant D&C Yellow 8 per kg of the storage medium). When the containeris capped with a lid and stored at 34° F. to 38° F., the worms willremain viable, and colored for about four to six weeks and are ready forimmediate use as bait.

In another application of the process, the incubation and storage can becarried out in the same vessel. For example 8-24 regular worms whichhave not been previously colored can be added to the bait cup and toppedwith the coloring medium prepared with D&C Yellow 8 and stored at 34° F.to 38° F. as above. In this case, the regular, uncolored, worms requirean initial incubation period of about one week to lapsed before theworms acquire the desired color and intensity to be used as colored baitworms. The worms will then remain colored and viable in the bait cup ofabout four to six weeks. In both examples, the worms can be kept viableand colored indefinitely, if required, simply by changing the coloringmedium once it has been consumed.

In another application of the invention the use of different coloringmediums for the incubation and storage periods is utilized. For example,regular, uncolored worms can be incubated in bulk utilizing coloringmedium prepared with the colorant D&C Yellow 8. After the incubationperiod, point-of-sale quantities of 8-24 worms can be removed from thiscoloring medium and stored in a bait container which is topped up with adifferent coloring medium prepared with D&C Yellow 7 colorant. Due tothe low water solubility of D&C Yellow 7, incubating worms with this dyeresults in slow dye uptake by the worms. However, worms dyed with D&CYellow 8, and subsequently placed in fresh coloring medium containingD&C Yellow 7, will retain their color for an extended period of time.However, D&C Yellow 7 will not substantially color the medium, andtherefore when the worms are eventually removed from the container andused as bait, there will be little or not staining of hands etc. by thedye.

In another example of the invention very large quantities of worms, onthe order of many thousands of worms or many tens of thousands of wormscan be colored by utilizing the coloring medium and very largecontainers or earth beds.

EXPERIMENTAL

The inventor conducted numerous experiments to determine theeffectiveness of a number of color additives to color live bait worms.The results of these experiments are summarized in the following TableI.

TABLE I Effectiveness of dye and respective Solubility in water (mg/mlat 25° C.) Chemical Effectiveness as Colorant Solubility Class wormcoloring agent FD&C Dyes FD&C Red 40 22 Monoazo No coloration. Wormsremain viable FD&C Yellow 6 19 Monoazo No coloration. Worms remainviable FD&C Blue 2 2 Indigoid No coloration. Worms (pure and lake)remain viable FD&C Red 3 Xanthene Worms become and (Na⁺) remainedpinkish/red when used in amounts of 50-800 mg. FD&C Yellow 5 20Pyrazolone Color not retained. Worms remain viable FD&C 20 TriphenylColor not retained. Green 3 methane Worms remain viable FD&C Blue 1 20Triphenyl Worms become and remain methane blue. Worms viable ifcarefully applied. Very difficult to use due to dusting. Dye stainshands, fishing equipment easily although extremely difficult to remove.D&C Dyes D&C Yellow 8 30 Xanthene Worms become and remain (Na⁺) brightChartreuse in color even with concentrations as low as 25 mg. Preferredrange for commercial application is between 200-600 mg). Worms remainvery healthy and viable even in very high concentration of >2500 mg.Excess color can be removed from hands and fishing gear readily bywashing. D&C Yellow 7 0.3 Xanthene Worms become and remain (free acid)bright Chartreuse in color even with concentrations as low as 25 mg.Preferred range for commercial application is between 200-600 mg. Wormsremain very healthy and viable even in very high concentrations of >2500mg. Excess color can be removed from hands and fishing gear readily bywashing. Low solubility in water makes this colorant lessenvironmentally intrusive. D&C Red 22 33 Xanthene Worms become andremain (Na⁺) pinkish/red when used in concentrations of 50-800 mg.Mortality begins to become a factor at the upper end of this range. D&CRed 28 9 Xanthene Worms become pinkish red (Na⁺) when used inconcentration between 50-800 mg. Increased mortality near upper end ofthis range. D&C Orange 5 0.3 Xanthene Worms become and remain (acidfree) orange in concentrations of 50-800 mg. Mortality increases atupper range.

Experimental procedure. Each powdered colorant was mixed with peat loammedium and added to an 8 oz cup containing 12 healthy and natural worms.Concentrations given as mg colorant per 8 oz cup containing about 120 gpeat loam. Worms were inspected for color and viability 24 hrs., 36hrs., and when still viable, 3-4 weeks later.

Although the invention has been described in connection with certainpreferred embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto. Rather,the invention includes all embodiments which may fall within the scopeof the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for coloring live bait worms,comprising: (a) providing a cultivation bed containing one or morestorage media adapted to sustain such bait worms in a living state; (b)adding to said cultivation bed a non-toxic amount of a colorant tothereby form a coloring medium, said colorant comprising one or more D&Ccolor additives; and (c) incubating said live bait worms in saidcoloring medium at a temperature in the range of from about 34° F. toabout 75° F., and for a sufficient time, to allow said bait worms toingest an amount of said coloring medium and thereby become colored bysaid colorant.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said temperature is inthe range of from about 34° F. to about 40° F.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the storage medium is selected from one or more members of thegroup consisting of peat loam, peat moss, top soil, black soil andhydrated cellulose-based media.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein thestorage medium comprises said hydrated cellulose-based media, andwherein the hydrated cellulose-based media is comprised of one or moremembers of the group consisting of hydrated pulp, paper, cardboard andnewsprint.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage medium is peatloam.
 6. A method for coloring live bait worms, comprising: (a)providing a cultivation bed containing one or more storage media adaptedto sustain such bait worms in a living state; (b) adding to saidcultivation bed a non-toxic amount of a colorant to thereby form acoloring medium, said colorant comprising one or more D&C coloradditives; and (c) incubating said live bait worms in said coloringmedium at a temperature, and for a sufficient time, to allow said baitworms to ingest an amount of said coloring medium and thereby becomecolored by said colorant; wherein the D&C color additive is selectedfrom the group consisting of xanthene dyes.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the D&C color additive comprises one or more members of thegroup consisting of D&C Yellow No. 7, D&C Yellow No. 8, FD&C Red No. 3,D&C Red No. 22, D&C Red No. 28 and D&C Orange No.
 5. 8. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the D&C color additive is selected from one or moremembers of the group consisting of D&C Yellow No. 8 and D&C Yellow No.7.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the time for which the worms areincubated in the coloring medium is from about two to about seven days.10. A method for coloring live bait worms, comprising: (a) providing acultivation bed containing one or more storage media adapted to sustainsuch bait worms in a living state; (b) adding to said cultivation bed anon-toxic amount of a colorant to thereby form a coloring medium, saidcolorant comprising one or more D&C color additives; and (c) incubatingsaid live bait worms in said coloring medium at a temperature, and for asufficient time, to allow said bait worms to ingest an amount of saidcoloring medium and thereby become colored by said colorant; wherein theamount of colorant added to the cultivation bed is about 1 to 10 g/kg ofstorage medium.